(VOV) -Illicit tobacco products are readily available in Ho Chi Minh City, causing numerous challenges as the booming black market reaches record levels.
In the first half of the year, nearly 1,300 cases of illegal tobacco smuggling and trading were detected in the city, mostly involving the brand names of Zet and Hero.
Functional agencies report that as many as 277 smugglers have been arrested and assessed more than VND3 billion in fines and other compensatory penalties.
However, the number arrested represents just the tip of the iceberg, as many other smuggling rings have not yet been uncovered, authorities report.
A significant portion of the tobacco seized by authorities during the arrests originated in Cambodia and was transported illegally across the border into the south-eastern provinces.
Smugglers can earn huge profits from their trade as tobacco prices in the Cambodian market have been hovering around VND4,000 – 6,000/packet, two to three times lower than the going rate in HCM City and surrounding provinces.
Black market tobacco ‘booming’ in HCM City Related image(s)
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